MSI opts not to manufacture AMD Radeon 9000 GPUS GPUS (RDNA 4)

MSI has announced that it will not launch personalized models of the new generation of AMD Radeon 9000 video cards, based on RDNA 4 architecture. The decision marks a progressive removal of the company in relation to AMD GPUs, consolidating a movement that was already noticeable since the RDNA 3 line and is now further accentuated.

Msi out of the RDNA 4 line

Confirmation came through a MSI representative in response to Tom’s Hardware, who questioned the company about its plans for the new generation of GPUS AMD.

The statement was straightforward: “MSI is not making GPUS AMD in this generation.” This indicates that the decision applies to the entire RDNA 4 line, not just specific models such as the newly released Radeon RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT.

With this, MSI joins a select group of manufacturers who decided not to invest in AMD’s new generation of GPUS, raising speculation about the reasons behind this choice.

Decreased support for AMD plates

MSI was already gradually reducing its AMD graphic board portfolio. During the RDNA 3 generation, the company launched only four custom models, a number significantly lower than the RDNA 2 line, which had 45 variants.

The lack of personalized versions for GPUs such as Radeon RX 7800 XT and RX 7700 XT already indicated a small interest in partnership with AMD.

On the other hand, MSI support to the NVIDIA GPUs is expressively larger. Just for the record, only GeForce RTX 4090, for example, has 12 different variants in the company portfolio, number three times larger than the entire RDNA 3 line of MSI.

Possible reasons for the decision

The reasons for this choice were not officially revealed, but there are some plausible hypotheses:

• Strategic alignment with Nvidia: With the departure of EVGA from the video signs market, MSI may be seeking to strengthen its position as one of Jensen Huang’s main partners, obtaining better commercial agreements and privileged access to new brand technologies.
• Low participation of AMD in the market: According to research Steam Hardware Survey, AMD has only 11.49% participation in the GPUS segment for PCs, compared to 83.07% of NVIDIA. This disparity may have led to prioritize the manufacturer who dominates the sector.
• Commercial factors and profit margins: It is rumored that AMD would not have informed the suggested prices of the new GPUs to its partners until the official launch. This may have made the production of custom models a financial risk to manufacturers like MSI.
• Total focus on the Nvidia RTX line 50: MSI may be directing its efforts to the future generation of Nvidia’s video cards, based on Blackwell architecture.

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Today’s choices define tomorrow’s market

The decision not to produce RDNA GPUs 4 does not necessarily mean a definitive breaking of MSI with AMD.

The company can reconsider its position in the future, especially if the next generation, possibly called RDNA 5 or UDNA 1, brings more attractive innovations and business opportunities.

For now, the MSI seems to follow the way to consolidate itself as a reference manufacturer for GPUS Nvidia, in a movement that resembles the transition from EVGA before its departure from the graphic plates market.

MSI may be seeking to strengthen its position as one of NVIDIA’s main partners for better commercial agreements and privileged access to new brand technologies.

While other manufacturers such as Acer expand its presence in the AMD GPUS sector, the absence of MSI in the RDNA 4 line can be an opportunity for new brands to gain space. Time will say whether this decision has been agreed or if the company has lost a valuable chance in the GPUS market.

Source: Tom’s Hardware